As a matter of interest to those with bizarre tastes in movies like mine, a particular favorite of mine was finally released to DVD last week.
“Becket” is a history piece dealing with 12th century England. The primary characters, Thomas Becket and King Henry II are played by Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole. The story deals with the relationship between King Henry and Thomas Becket, who, as Archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in 1170. The movie was made in 1964 and is just seeing the light of day on DVD for the first time.
Interestingly, Peter O’Toole played Henry II again in the brilliant 1968 movie, “The Lion in Winter”. Both O’Toole and Henry are older in this story and Henry’s wife and Queen is played by the magnificent Katherine Hepburn. The Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is a throw away role in “Becket”, but is shown in “The lion in Winter” as the towering historic figure that she was. While the specific events at Chinon in 1183 shown in the movie are fictionalized, the historic context and the relationships and events between the characters is accurate.
If you enjoy well written and cast historical dramas, as I do, I recommend both.
Have a safe holiday weekend.
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